Chinese or Szechuan Pepper Oil Szechuan pepper-infused oil is a tasty and versatile condiment. Use it in marinades for meat, as a dipping sauce or to spice up soups and other dishes. It’s more than just pepper flavored. It has layers of taste from other spices and aromatics. Once you see how flavorful it is,…
Tomatoes and peppers. That’s 90% of why I love gardening. Is there anything to compare to a home-grown tomato? Not even the tomatoes at the farmer’s market are as good as what comes out of my garden. And for unparalleled taste, peppers are a close second. Like tomatoes, the flavor and variety of peppers that…
Is canning safe? If you’ve done any reading on social media about canning, you’ll find a whole lot of strong opinions on whether or not canning is safe and a good thing to do. There are two extremes on the spectrum of whether or not canning is safe. On the one side is the Nervous…
I love books. I can’t get enough of books. They inspire me to try new things and guide me as I try to acquire new (or improve old) skills. You can never go wrong giving a book. Here are a few of my favorites, the kind I think every home should have: lot of detail,…
First, a short history In the 1860’s, a tinsmith named John L. Mason invented what we now call the Mason jar—a glass jar with a threaded lip and a reusable metal lid. Since then, this homemaker’s wonder has allowed people all over the world to preserve fruit, pickles, relishes and jams. Even though people of…